Fort Worth, TX, Oct. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2021 National Miss Juneteenth Pageant is scheduled to begin on October 14, 2021, and the Grandmother of Juneteenth Ms. Opal Lee will be present. Known for her human rights advocacy work, Ms. Opal has declared her support for a 16-year-old senior at Central High School, Precious Maku, who is representing Fort Worth at the event.
The National Miss Juneteenth Pageant is a scholarship program sponsored by NJOF, an organization founded by Dr. Ronald Meyers to make Juneteenth a national holiday that will be hosting their Planners and Directors convention at the same time. Now a federal holiday that brings together people from all walks of life in the United States, and other parts of the world, Juneteenth honors the emancipation of the enslaved while the national pageant provides a platform for young women to enhance their self-esteem and self-expression, bringing to bear the plight of people of color even in modern-day society.
Ms. Opal Lee will take part in the crowning ceremonies of the 2nd Annual National Miss Juneteenth Pageant. Lee who is the oldest board member of NJOF was present at the White House with President Biden to witness the signing of the bill establishing Juneteenth as the 11th federal holiday. She will also be hosting a book signing prior to the pageant at 4:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa located at 709 S. Boston Avenue in Tulsa.
This event comes on the heels of Ms. Opal’s recent travels where she joined the "Change is Possible" tour in Memphis, TN and Jacksonville, FL with Dr. Belay Reddick, where they spoke on awareness to the men and women reentering society. Ms. Opal will also be announcing plans to start her book tour "I AM JUNETEENTH" in February 2022, emphasizing the preciousness of freedom. She expounded on her theme of unity last month in Las Vegas at the National Convention of the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM), where over 1000 attendees waited in line for almost two hours to meet Ms. Opal, and receive an autographed copy of her book Juneteenth: a Children's Story.
Later this month, Ms. Opal will be honored with the Woman of Power and Purpose Award from the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware and have a fireside chat with Valerie Biden Owens, Chair of the Biden Institute.
For more information about Ms. Opal Lee and to purchase her book as well as support her initiatives, visit - www.opalswalk2dc.com.
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About Ms. Opal Lee
To bring awareness to the Juneteenth National Holiday campaign, Ms. Opal Started her Opal’s Walk 2 DC campaign in 2016, where she walked 2.5 miles to symbolize the 2.5 years that it took for slaves in Texas to know that they were free. Ms. Opal launched a petition campaign on Change.org, and in September 2020 delivered the 1.5 million signatures it had received to Congress. Ms. Opal believes that freedom should be celebrated from the 19th of June to the 4th of July. Head to https://adobe.ly/3hs3jg0 for more.
About Precious Maku
Precious Maku, Miss Juneteenth Fort Worth, Texas, is the founder and President of The BreakingFreeProject, a non-profit organization raising mental health awareness. Precious is a Class Representative and Co-Secretary for Student Powerd Anti- Racism Coalition (SPARC), an initiative to fight, spread awareness and educate people about racism and discrimination. She is a positive advocate for Juneteenth and the empowerment of the individual.
About Unity Unlimited, Inc.
Unity Unlimited, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose main mission is providing educational activities and resources to people, young and old, to foster unity and harmony within the community, the city, the state, the nation and the world regardless of race, culture or denomination. For more information visit: www.unityunlimited.org/
